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[Scott Helmke]

The live audio company I work for does a fair bit of swag - mostly sharpies and candy, plus things like LED flashlights for our better customers.

After finding yet another wiring problem in the enjoyably non-surprising way by using my trusty non-contact voltage tester (I bought a 1950's house recently), I'm starting to think that a logo-imprinted giveaway NCVT would be a very cool thing.

Anybody happen to see one of those swag supplier companies doing NCVTs?

[John Roberts {JR}]

Not a bad gift for musos and venues... I like it.

 I gave away ear plugs at several (drum industry)  trade shows,

JR

[Rob Spence]

Not a bad gift for musos and venues... I like it.

 I gave away ear plugs at several (drum industry)  trade shows,

JR

I have a bag of earplugs with my business card stapled to them that I give away to venue staff that are obviously in a bit of audio overload distress at my gigs.

I do like the idea of the testers as swag.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[Tim McCulloch]

The live audio company I work for does a fair bit of swag - mostly sharpies and candy, plus things like LED flashlights for our better customers.

After finding yet another wiring problem in the enjoyably non-surprising way by using my trusty non-contact voltage tester (I bought a 1950's house recently), I'm starting to think that a logo-imprinted giveaway NCVT would be a very cool thing.

Anybody happen to see one of those swag supplier companies doing NCVTs?

Three years ago I gave everyone in my shop an NCVT.  For "the gifting holidays" they got basic VOMs.

If we need a minimum order to get NCVTs "blank" for screen printing, I'm interested in helping out.

[Al Keltz]

Anybody happen to see one of those swag supplier companies doing NCVTs?

Be careful.


I liked the idea too. So much so that we ordered a bunch of these from a company out of China. They sent a sample and it worked and looked good. But when we received the actual order, most all of them didn't work. A complaint to the supplier was responded with, "They worked when they left here . . ." In other words "Too bad". 

We could test, disassemble and fix most of them but it's not worth the labor cost.

Plus I got to thinking that this is different than a t-shirt, flashlight or a sharpie with our logo on it. Even with all the warnings on the package, if someone uses or relies on our NCVT and it doesn't work and they get shocked or worse, whose name is on it?

Lesson learned.

[John Roberts {JR}]

Be careful.


I liked the idea too. So much so that we ordered a bunch of these from a company out of China. They sent a sample and it worked and looked good. But when we received the actual order, most all of them didn't work. A complaint to the supplier was responded with, "They worked when they left here . . ." In other words "Too bad". 

We could test, disassemble and fix most of them but it's not worth the labor cost.

Plus I got to thinking that this is different than a t-shirt, flashlight or a sharpie with our logo on it. Even with all the warnings on the package, if someone uses or relies on our NCVT and it doesn't work and they get shocked or worse, whose name is on it?

Lesson learned.

Caveat emptor... Lucky your lesson was modest. I have seen small companies literally put out of business when they received their pre-paid container full of shoddy product from china with no recourse.

I recall one guy who planned to make a killing in the guitar business with inexpensive decent quality guitars, but instead ended up with a container full of firewood. Unless you have boots on the ground and a longer term relationship you are better off dealing through an intermediary. IMO

I don't do much direct business with china by myself, I wonder if the big chinese merchandise websites do any self-policing?

JR

PS: please share the name of the chinese vendor that screwed you..

PPS: Maybe donate the faulty NCVT to a technical school so the students can learn by fixing them. 

[Stephen Kirby]

One thing I've noticed about China is that nearly everyone has one or two things going on the side.  Looking for a lucky strike that will elevate them out of the morass that is the developing Chinese middle class.  Never having had a middle class they don't see attaining it to be a goal.  You are either an elite or a peasant in their history.  As a result there are a lot of fronts that are well intentioned, in that they hope to be very successful, but may only be a couple of people with big aspirations.  And thus probably won't have the resources to manage an entire build to spec product.  They may have seen others get away with it with the right contacts in the right places for the particular thing being made, but not be able to pull it off themselves.
On the other side of the coin, the reputable (in that they can deliver) concerns are after big kills and don't really want to deal with small potatoes.  I'm in the place of working for a company with major worldwide recognition that they'd like to have the logo on their customer list, but we don't make that many physical products which would make anyone rich.  So you go over there and get the big dog and pony presentation but your stuff is shuffled off to a corner of the plant to stay out of the way of the money makers.
I feel for anyone trying to do short run things over there without clout or the spectre of a big killing.

[Al Keltz]

Caveat emptor... Lucky your lesson was modest. I have seen small companies literally put out of business when they received their pre-paid container full of shoddy product from china with no recourse.

I think we bought 500 at around 3 dollars and change each. Not insignificant but won't break the bank either.

PS: please share the name of the chinese vendor that screwed you.

Office is looking for the order and I'll report back.

PPS: Maybe donate the faulty NCVT to a technical school so the students can learn by fixing them. 

I doubt it, they still have our name on them. Maybe add hooks and make into colorful fishing lures?

- Al

[Scott Helmke]

I haven't been directly involved in the swag procurement process before... my guess is that the swag companies are the ones doing the quality control on the products they sell. The most complicated thing we've gotten so far has been battery-powered cell phone chargers, and as you might guess there could definitely be some safety concerns with something carrying a high-capacity battery.

[ProSoundWeb Community]